World of Trophies
TheWorld of Trophies, also known simply asThis World (この世界) according to theSmash Bros. DOJO!! website and some trophy descriptions, is the setting in whichThe Subspace Emissary takes place. According toMaster Hand's trophy description inSuper Smash Bros. Melee andSuper Smash Bros. Brawl, he links this realm to the real world.
Geography[edit]
The World of Trophies has a large land mass with a very diverse geography that includesgrasslands,a large lake,temperate andtropical forests,wetlands,badlands, anda snowy mountain. Interestingly, there are remnants of civilization strewn about the World of Trophies. This is evident with the existence ofa dilapidated zoo,a stronghold amidst an ancient battleground, andancient ruins.
The World of Trophies is neighbored by a vast ocean and two locations that are located in the sky above: afloating island known as theIsle of the Ancients anda location based on and named afterSkyworld from theKid Icarus series.
History[edit]
Initially, theopening movies ofSuper Smash Bros. andSuper Smash Bros. Melee merely showedplayable characters as toy/trophy versions of themselves. Prior to the release ofSuper Smash Bros. Brawl,Masahiro Sakurai developed this quirk into an integral aspect within theSuper Smash Bros. universe's lore. According to Sakurai, playable characters live on the World of Trophies andfight each other in a variety of battles.[1] Upon defeat, a character is turned into a trophy, a process that is akin to death.[1] However, a defeated character can be revived in two ways: either by simply touching theirTrophy Stand,[1] or by equipping them witha special brooch. As shown inBrawl's Adventure Mode,The Subspace Emissary, non-playable characters can also be turned into trophies upon being hit with a Trophy Stand, and NPCs created fromShadow Bugs can even be outright destroyed.
Although fighting is the primary purpose among the playable characters within theSuper Smash Bros. series, Sakurai explains that it also serves as a form of bonding between them, regardless of whichuniverse they hail from.[2] This is first shown in the fight betweenMario andKirby at theMidair Stadium, where the winner of the fight revives the loser and then cordially shake hands afterward.[1] These bonds are further developed in response to the threat of theSubspace Army, as the playable characters collectively unite to stop the Subspace Army from destroying the one home that they collectively share.[2]
Despite the remnants of civilization located around the World of Trophies, there may be some active form of civilization aside from the trophies, as evident by thecrowd in attendance at theMidair Stadium. While the true depth of the World of Trophies' civilization is ambiguous, it nevertheless has a ruler: the aptly namedMaster Hand, who is the embodiment of creation within theSuper Smash Bros. universe.[3] Incidentally,Skyworld is ruled byPalutena like inher and Pit's home universe, whereas theIsle of the Ancients was formerly ruled by theMaster Robot prior to the Subspace Army's invasion.[3] Although the playable characters were successful in stopping the Subspace Army and its leader,Tabuu, from fully capturing the World of Trophies withinSubspace, this came at a heavy cost:R.O.B., who was the Master Robot/Ancient Minister, became the sole survivor ofhis species, and the Isle of the Ancients was effectively destroyed after being engulfed in a plethora ofSubspace Bomb explosions.[3]
Legacy[edit]
Although the World of Trophies is not directly featured inSuper Smash Bros. 4, it and the events of The Subspace Emissary are nevertheless referenced. InSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U,R.O.B.'s status as the only remaining member of his species is referenced by hisNTSCBoxing Ringtitle "The Last of His Kind". In addition,Palutena's Guidance regardingMario andMr. Game & Watch directly mention Pit's alliance with Mario early on in The Subspace Emissary, and Mr. Game & Watch's ability to generateShadow Bugs, respectively. InSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS,Generators,Glices,Glires,Glunders,Mites,Poppants, andRoturrets appear inSmash Run, while their respective trophies directly mention the Subspace Army.
World of Light[edit]
Although it is never explicitly stated, it can be assumed thatSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate's Adventure Mode,World of Light, takes place at least partially in the World of Trophies, making it a pseudo-sequel to The Subspace Emissary. This is most evident in the opening cutscene, where the initial fight againstGaleem seemingly takes place on the same cliffside that formerly showed theIsle of the Ancients on the horizon as shown during the final Subspace Emissary cutscene. It should be noted that the world is destroyed and rebuilt following this cutscene, which explains why the in-game map is completely different to that of the one featured in The Subspace Emissary.
TheSubspace Army is also directly referenced in a few ways.Tabuu,Duon, and theAncient Minister appear as collectablespirits, as does aSubspace Bomb and some of the Army's infantry units (aPrimid, aRoturret,Bytans,Mites, andShadow Bugs).Galleom also reprises his role as aboss in addition to being a spirit.
Trivia[edit]
- For unspecified reasons,Luigi,Diddy Kong andZelda are the only characters who, upon being rendered into their trophy forms during The Subspace Emissary, strike poses that are entirely different from the ones used for their respectiveClassic Mode trophies.
- Although the World of Trophies is canon only within theSuper Smash Bros. universe, it nevertheless features a location from anotheruniverse. In this case, it featuresa location based on and named afterSkyworld, which is a major location in theKid Icarus universe.
